Hot Wheels (TV series)

This article is about the 1969 television series. For other series and films based on the toy line, see Hot Wheels (disambiguation).
Hot Wheels
GenreAnimated series
Created byFred Crippen
Eddie Smardan
Ken Snyder
Voices ofBob Arbogast
Melinda Casey
Casey Kasem
Albert Brooks
Susan Davis
Nora Marlowe
Michael Rye
Theme music composerMike Curb
ComposerJack Fascinato
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes17 (34 segments)
Production
Executive producerKenneth C.T. Snyder
ProducersFred Crippen
Eddie Smardan
Ken Snyder
Camera setupI
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesKen Snyder Properties
Pantomime Pictures
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 6, 1969 (1969-09-06) –
September 4, 1971 (1971-09-04)

Hot Wheels is an American animated television series broadcast on ABC from 1969 to 1971, under the primary sponsorship of Mattel Toys.[1] The show took pains to stress that it was "pro-safety", contrasting the safe and responsible behavior of the series' racing-club protagonists with the reckless behavior of their rivals.[2]

The show was criticized by the Federal Communications Commission, which considered it a half-hour commercial for toy cars. ABC contested the charge, saying that there was no prior commitment to Mattel, and that Hot Wheels cars were never advertised during the program. The network was backed up by the National Association of Broadcasters, and the show remained on the ABC schedule for two seasons.[2]

Synopsis

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The series mainly focused on the racing exploits of a high school student, Jack "Rabbit" Wheeler, who led the Hot Wheels Racing Club.

Voice cast

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Episodes

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  1. Big Race
  2. The Family Car
  3. Fire Fighters
  4. The Jewel
  5. Fake Out - Stake Out
  6. The Buggy Ride
  7. Four Wheel Time Bomb
  8. Hit and Run
  9. It Takes a Team
  10. Ardeth the Demon (Ardeth the Highwayman)
  11. Like Father, Like Son
  12. Avalanche Country
  13. Danger Around the Clock
  14. Tough Cop
  15. Hotter Than the Devils
  16. Underground
  17. Rough Ride (The Test)
  18. Race to Space
  19. Monkey a-Okay
  20. Diamonds Are a Girls Worst Friend
  21. Big Heart, Little Hearts
  22. Get Back on That Horse
  23. Hitchhike to Danger
  24. Dragon's Tooth Peak
  25. The Doc Warren Trophy Race
  26. Show-Off
  27. Drag Strip
  28. Mata Hari Ardeth
  29. Slicker-Slicks

FCC action

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Some time during the show's broadcast, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received complaints from toy companies who argued that it was actually a thirty-minute commercial for the toys; one of them was Topper Toys, a rival to Mattel.[3] The FCC obliged by ordering stations to log part of the airings as advertising time.[3][4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press. pp. 142–143. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 416–417. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. ^ a b Owen, David (1988). "The Man Who Invented Saturday Morning". The Man Who Invented Saturday Morning—and Other Adventures in American Enterprise (Essay). Villard Books (Random House). pp. 174–175. ISBN 0-394-56810-9.
  4. ^ Wojahn, Ellen (1988). "Team Play". Playing by Different Rules. American Management Association (amacom). pp. 98–99. ISBN 0-8144-5861-0.
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